Freethought facts for kids

Freethought is a way of thinking where people form their own beliefs. They don't just accept ideas because they come from authority, old traditions, religious stories, or strict rules. Instead, freethinkers use things like logic, reason, and observing the world to figure out what's true.

The Oxford English Dictionary says a freethinker is "a person who forms their own ideas and opinions rather than accepting those of other people, especially in religious teaching." Today, freethinking often means questioning traditional social or religious beliefs. People who practice freethought are called "freethinkers."

The word "freethought" first appeared in the 1600s. It described people who questioned common beliefs that others accepted without thinking. Today, freethinking is often connected to ideas like deism (belief in a creator based on reason, not religion), secularism (keeping government separate from religion), humanism (focusing on human values and reason), and questioning religion.

Freethinkers believe that knowledge should be based on facts, scientific study, and logic. They try to think clearly and avoid being influenced by things like confirmation bias (only seeing what you already believe), cognitive bias (mental shortcuts that can lead to errors), common ideas, popular culture, myths, or prejudice.

What is Freethought?

The writer Adam Lee says freethought is thinking that is free from religious stories, traditions, old beliefs, and authority. He sees it as a wide idea that includes many kinds of different thinking, like religious doubt and skepticism.

A famous idea for freethinkers comes from the 19th-century philosopher William Kingdon Clifford. He said: "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." This means you shouldn't believe something without enough proof. This idea became very important for freethinkers in the 1870s.

When it comes to religion, freethinkers usually believe there isn't enough proof for supernatural things. The Freedom from Religion Foundation says that a freethinker doesn't demand that everyone follow a bible or a religious leader. For freethinkers, religious stories and faith are not enough to prove truth. They believe that religious claims have not passed the test of reason. Many freethinkers think religion is not only untrue but can also be harmful.

However, not everyone who doesn't believe in God is a freethinker. For example, Bertrand Russell said that someone like Joseph Stalin was not a freethinker, even though he was an atheist. Russell compared Stalin to a "pope" because he demanded people follow his ideas without question.

In the 1700s and 1800s, many freethinkers were deists. They believed that you could understand God by studying nature, not just from religious books. At that time, being a "deist" was often seen as bad, like being an "atheist." Today, deists still see themselves as freethinkers, but atheists are more common in the freethought movement.

How Freethinkers Think

For freethinkers, an idea is true if it can be tested, proven, and makes sense logically. Many freethinkers are also humanists. This means they base their ideas about right and wrong on human needs. They find purpose in things like compassion, making society better, art, personal happiness, love, and learning new things.

Generally, freethinkers like to think for themselves. They tend to question things, value critical thinking and reason, and are open to new ideas. They often value their own individuality. They decide what is true for themselves based on what they learn, the answers they find, and their own experiences. Freethinkers don't just follow the crowd. They form their own beliefs by looking at how the world works. They have the courage to think differently from what is usually accepted. This might or might not lead them to believe in some higher power.

Symbol of Freethought

A pansy on a freethinker's tombstone from the late 1800s in Spain.

The pansy flower is a long-standing symbol of freethought. It started being used in the late 1800s by groups like the American Secular Union.

The pansy was chosen for two reasons: its name and its look. The word "pansy" comes from the French word pensée, which means "thought." People thought the flower looked a bit like a human face. In summer, it often bends forward as if it's deep in thought. In the 1880s, following examples from freethinkers in Europe, it became known in the United States as a symbol of religious freedom and freedom to think for yourself.

History of Freethought

Early Ideas

Thinking freely has always existed. What's important is when people started to be punished for it. In ancient civilizations like Iran, there were thinkers like Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) who wrote poems that showed unusual ideas. The Chinese also made progress in freedom of thought, for example, during the Song dynasty (1127–1279). Later, during the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, people started to question old ways of thinking.

A French writer named François Rabelais celebrated freedom of thought in his stories. He wrote about a perfect place called Thelema Abbey, where people could live freely and think for themselves. His hero, Pantagruel, learns a simple lesson: "Drink!" This meant to enjoy life, gain wisdom, and be a free person.

Modern Freethought

The year 1600 is important for modern freethought. That year, Giordano Bruno, a former monk, was executed in Italy by the Inquisition. He was punished for his ideas that went against the church.

Australia

Before World War II, most people in Australia were Protestant or Catholic. After the war, Australia became much more secular, meaning religion became less important in public life. Many people believe that as Australia became richer, fewer people went to church. Donald Horne, a famous Australian thinker, said in 1964 that "Churches no longer matter very much to most Australians." He felt that people found enough happiness in their lives without needing religion.

Belgium

In Belgium, the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel are universities that support free and critical thinking. They focus on non-religious philosophy and ethics, and they reject the idea of just accepting something because an authority says so.

Canada

In 1873, a few people who believed in secularism started the Toronto Freethought Association. This group grew and became the Canadian Secular Union in 1884, bringing together freethinkers from all over the country. Many early members were educated workers who were also active in labor movements.

The main newspaper for the freethought movement in Canada was Secular Thought (1887–1911). Later, in 1968, the Humanist Association of Canada (HAC) was formed. It brought together humanists, atheists, and freethinkers. This group works to support social justice and to keep religious influence out of government policies.

England

The word freethinker first appeared in England in the late 1600s. It described people who disagreed with the Church of England and the idea that the Bible should be taken literally. These people believed that you could understand the world by studying nature.

These ideas were written down by William Molyneux in 1697 and more fully by Anthony Collins in 1713. Collins's book, Discourse of Free-thinking, became very popular. It criticized religious leaders and argued for deism.

The Freethinker magazine started in Britain in 1881. It was printed until 2014 and is now an online publication.

France

In France, the idea of "freedom to think" (Liberté de penser) was included in the famous Encyclopédie in 1765 by thinkers like Denis Diderot and Voltaire. This idea spread widely, even to faraway places like Norway.

In the 1800s, a specific idea of Libre-Pensée ("free thought") appeared in France. The writer Victor Hugo was one of its early supporters. French Freethinkers often combined freedom of thought with political ideas against religious influence and with socialist ideas. The main group that still follows this tradition today is the Fédération nationale de la libre pensée, created in 1890.

Germany

In Germany, between 1815 and 1848, more citizens started to resist the strict rules of the church. In 1844, people like Johannes Ronge and Robert Blum helped ideas about human rights, tolerance, and humanism grow. By 1859, they formed the Bund Freireligiöser Gemeinden Deutschlands (Union of Free Religious Communities of Germany). This group was for people who felt religious but didn't belong to any official church. This union still exists today.

In 1881, Ludwig Büchner started the Deutscher Freidenkerbund (German Freethinkers League) in Frankfurt am Main. This was the first German group for atheists and people who doubted God's existence. Other similar groups formed later.

Freethought groups in Germany created special ceremonies like the "Jugendweihe" (Youth consecration), which was a non-religious ceremony for young people, and non-religious funerals. Many Germans, especially those who supported socialist and communist parties, left their churches.

However, after World War I, many of the older freethought groups became less popular. New "proletarian" (working-class) freethought groups grew and became part of socialist parties. These European socialist freethought groups formed the International of Proletarian Freethinkers (IPF) in 1925.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, most freethought groups were banned. Some right-wing groups that worked with nationalist ideas were allowed for a short time, but they were also banned by the mid-1930s.

Ireland

In the 1800s, George Ensor (1769-1843) shocked many people with his ideas. In his book from 1835, he argued that religion often didn't focus on moral teachings. He said that religious leaders saw questions of right and wrong as "side issues" and "merely philosophical."

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, organized freethought began with the group De Dageraad (now called De Vrije Gedachte) in 1856. Famous members in the 1800s included Johannes van Vloten and Multatuli.

In 2009, Frans van Dongen started the Atheist-Secular Party. This party has strong views against religion and public religious displays.

Since the 1800s, freethought in the Netherlands has also become known as a political idea. Political parties that call themselves "freethinking" tend to favor logical approaches to their ideas, rather than strict rules. They offer a non-religious choice to parties linked to churches or labor unions. Common ideas among these parties are "freedom," "liberty," and individualism.

Switzerland

When taxes for churches were introduced in the 1870s, people who were against religious influence started to organize. Around 1870, a "freethinkers club" was started in Zürich. In 1883, during a discussion about church laws in Zürich, some people suggested that the church and state should be separate.

Turkey

In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, important thinkers like Ahmet Rıza and Tevfik Fikret shared ideas about freethought. These thinkers influenced the early years of the Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the modern, secular Turkish nation, put their ideas into practice. He made many reforms that modernized the country.

Sources suggest that Atatürk was a religious skeptic and a freethinker. He was not a strict deist or an atheist, but he was generally against religion and Islam. Atatürk believed that Turkish people didn't truly understand Islam or read the Quran. He thought they were influenced by Arabic phrases they didn't understand and went to mosques out of habit. He believed that if Turks read and thought about the Quran, they would leave Islam. In his own book, Atatürk described Islam as the religion of the Arabs, showing his critical and nationalist views.

The Association of Atheism (Ateizm Derneği) was founded in 2014. It was the first official atheist group in the Middle East and Caucasus. It helps non-religious people and freethinkers in Turkey who face unfair treatment because of their beliefs. In 2018, some news outlets reported the group would close due to pressure, but the association said this was not true and they are still active.

United States

The Freethought movement first organized in the United States in 1827. This was to defend George Houston, who published The Correspondent, an early newspaper that questioned the Bible. At that time, people could still be punished for speaking against religion.

Later, the Free Enquirer became an important newspaper for the movement. In 1836, the first national Freethinkers organization, the "United States Moral and Philosophical Society for the General Diffusion of Useful Knowledge," was founded.

Robert G. Ingersoll was a famous speaker for freethought.

In the 1800s, many German freethinkers moved to the United States after the revolutions in Germany in 1848. They hoped to live freely without interference from government or church. Many of these German freethinkers settled in places like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Wisconsin, and Texas. They formed their own groups called Freie Gemeinden, or "free congregations." The first one was in St. Louis in 1850.

Freethinkers often held liberal views. They supported ideas like fairness for all races, social groups, and genders, and they were against slavery.

The "Golden Age of Freethought" in the US was in the late 1800s. The main group was the National Liberal League, formed in 1876. This group later became the American Secular Union in 1885, led by the famous speaker Robert G. Ingersoll. After Ingersoll died in 1899, the group became less active.

Freethought in the United States became less common in the early 1900s. Many freethought groups closed or joined other churches. The Free Congregation of Sauk County, Wisconsin, founded in 1852, is the longest-running freethought group in America and is still active today.

Some German Freethinker settlements were located in:

• Burlington, Wisconsin
• Belleville, Illinois
• Castell, Texas
• Comfort, Texas
• Davenport, Iowa
• Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
• Frelsburg, Texas
• Hermann, Missouri
• Jefferson, Wisconsin
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Latium, Texas
• Manitowoc, Wisconsin
• Meyersville, Texas
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Millheim, Texas
• Oshkosh, Wisconsin
• Ratcliffe, Texas
• Sauk City, Wisconsin
• Shelby, Texas
• Sisterdale, Texas
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Tusculum, Texas
• Two Rivers, Wisconsin
• Watertown, Wisconsin

Anarchism and Freethought

Freethought also played a role in the development of anarchism in the United States. Many people who wrote for the anarchist magazine Liberty were also important figures in freethought. For example, the American individualist anarchist George MacDonald was an editor for Freethought and The Truth Seeker.

In Europe, similar things happened with French and Spanish individualist anarchists. They often spoke out against the church. They criticized organized religion for its past negative actions and for being against scientific progress. They also criticized how religion tried to control people's thoughts. These ideas continued with French anarchists like Charles-Auguste Bontemps.

In Spanish individualist anarchist magazines, there was a lot of interest in science. They often linked science to ideas against religion, showing how science and religion, or faith and reason, didn't always fit together. They talked a lot about Charles Darwin's theories and the idea that there is no soul.

In 1901, the Spanish anarchist and freethinker Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia started "modern" or progressive schools in Barcelona. He did this to challenge the education system, which was controlled by the Catholic Church. These schools aimed to "educate the working class in a logical, non-religious, and free way." Ferrer was strongly against religious influence and believed in "freedom in education," meaning education free from the control of the church and state. Ferrer's ideas inspired many Modern Schools in the United States, Cuba, South America, and London.

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